We send a weekly newsletter focused on a single-topic related to preserving, cooking, local food, foraging, gardening or something else. Our goal with the newsletter is “to be the most useful resource in your inbox.” The newsletter includes links to many other websites with ideas sharing knowledge about the topic as well as original content, announcements and occasional contests from us as well. As an added bonus we send all subscribers the link to a file for labels that Dana hand-designed so you can print your own designer labels to decorate your jars. You can sign up here.

This weeks theme was: Strawberries! New preservers will find everything they need to learn to preserve strawberries and veterans will (hopefully) find new ideas and great preserving ideas for the first fruit of the year! Strawberry wine, spicy preserves and recipes for beginners are all included.

It’s just after 11:00PM and I still have two burners rolling on the stove. I’m experimenting with a recipe for an asparagus soup concentrate that can be pressure canned and preserving a few odds and ends.

And it’s hot as heck.

Canning, pressure canning, dehydrating and cooking preserves can really heat up the house. Here’s a few ideas for lowering the heat when preserving on warmer days:

Move canning outside. If you’re lucky enough to have an overhang or a covered porch, this is an easy step. Create a small outdoor kitchen space and cook over a camp stove or the side burner of a BBQ. I actually move our dehydrator onto our small fire escape when the weather gets really warm in order to stay cool.

Change techniques. I’m pressure canning soup and stock. If I had a deep freezer I could easily freeze both items and cut a lot of heat out of my kitchen.

Convert your garage. OK, this is extreme – but it’s common in much of Nova Scotia; Garages are converted into rough kitchens (i.e. a fridge, sink, stove and counter are added to an otherwise ‘normal’ garage).

Be a night owl. Preserve later at night or early in the morning when it’s cooler (and energy is often more affordable).

Work slower. This may sound counter intuitive but multitasking (such as heating water while you’re chopping vegetables) can create extra heat in the kitchen (i.e. your water boils before your jam has cooked). By working one-task-at-a-time you can ensure the heat is only on when it’s needed.

We send a weekly newsletter focused on a single-topic related to preserving, cooking, local food, foraging, gardening or something else. Our goal with the newsletter is “to be the most useful resource in your inbox.” The newsletter includes links to many other websites with ideas sharing knowledge about the topic as well as original content, announcements and occasional contests from us as well. As an added bonus we send all subscribers the link to a file for labels that Dana hand-designed so you can print your own designer labels to decorate your jars.

This weeks theme was: Kick-Up The Jams! Bourbon, pepper, balsamic, habaneros, elderflower, ramps and candied ginger all find their way into jam in this weeks round-up as we take a look at some of the less common combinations of flavours that can be added to fruit and jam!

Every Wednesday we share the links from the previous weeks newsletter as we know that some of you would prefer to read these on the site and that sharing the links here increases the reach/ exposure of many of the writers working so hard to share their passions. These links celebrate the work of so many people working hard to share knowledge and their passions of cooking, preserving and the love of the kitchen and we want to help spread the work of great sites and blogs….

Pickled Onions. Cucumbers aren’t the only thing you can pickle! These are great on a sandwich or eaten straight from the jar.

Pickled Beets (Food in Jars). Confession: I almost always forget to open beets and then convince myself that I’m not a big fan of them and then I open a can and am surprised how much I love them. It’s a pattern that’s not likely to change – I’ve been doing it for 30 years!

Spicy Pickled Carrots. If you’ve never preserved before, these are a great place to start. They are delicious and have a mean kick as well.

Pickled Fiddleheads. This isn’t everyones cup of tea but I find it to be one of the prettiest preserves I have ever made.

Roasted Garlic and Lemon Mustard (Local Kitchen). If you’re not a giant fan of pickles, don’t fret – Kaela at Local Kitchen isn’t either. But she made this AWESOME sounding mustard that I have to try…
…

We send a weekly newsletter focused on a single-topic related to preserving, cooking, local food, foraging, gardening or something else. Our goal with the newsletter is “to be the most useful resource in your inbox.” The newsletter includes links to many other websites with ideas sharing knowledge about the topic as well as original content, announcements and occasional contests from us as well. As an added bonus we send all subscribers the link to a file for labels that Dana hand-designed so you can print your own designer labels to decorate your jars.

Every Wednesday we share the links from the previous weeks newsletter as we know that some of you would prefer to read these on the site and that sharing the links here increases the reach/ exposure of many of the writers working so hard to share their passions. We had almost 20 links to other sites; you can find them as well as the links to some of our asparagus archive below:

I thought it would be fun to daydream and come up with a list of 10 things I want to preserve but haven’t done yet. I don’t know how many of these things I’ll eventually make but I know I’ll be doing several of them this year.

This isn’t a complete list but it’s the first 10 things that came to mind. Most of them have percolated for a few years – just not enough time to get to them!

10 Things on my Preserving Bucket List

Fish sauce. I’ve been ‘threatening’ to make this at home for years. I don’t cook with fish sauce very often but I’d really like to make it even though I’m a little afraid of the potential fragrance.

Sourdough. I’ve made plenty of bread but I’ve never made sourdough. I’m not sure it counts as a preserve although it does involve fermenting so I’ll say it does!

Charcuterie. I’ve made jerky, bacon, prosciutto and some other cured meats but I’d like to take these skills to the next level.

Tanning hides. You can’t eat them, but tanning hides (such as deer or moose) is definitely a form of preservation and I’d like to learn how.

Ume Boshi. I fermented some plums that were inspired by this Japanese ferment but would love to take it further and closer to the actual product.

A giant batch of hot sauce (i.e. 100 gallons). We make lots of hot sauce and I have no idea what I’d do with this much hot sauce but I’d really love to try to ferment a big batch of hot peppers to make sauce. I don’t know why the volume is such an appeal but I’d really like to give it a shot!

Cheese. Making Ricotta was easy but I’d love to learn mooch more about fermenting cheese.

Frozen food. This one is a bit of a cheat because I already know how to freeze food but I’ve put it hear because we have the tiniest freezer. I’d like to have the space for a deep freeze one day – we’d freeze a lot more food than we do now.

Canned Fish. Mrs Wheelbarrow inspired me with this recipe and I will pressure-can tuna or salmon soon!

Fermented ‘something’ in a pumpkin. Like beer. I love the idea of using a pumpkin or a large squash as a fermenting vessel.

I’ve worked in different businesses most of my life. I’ve worked in all sorts of different companies in all sorts of roles. I’ve never been a big believer in completely separating work from the rest of my life; there are all sorts of things I’ve learned at work that I use in the rest of my life – and all sorts of things I’ve learned in life that I use at work.

Here’s 10 things I’ve learned from work that apply to preserving:

Teamwork
A good team will out perform a group of solo-stars. While I do plenty of preserving by myself it’s fun to preserve in small groups – especially when preserving large batches. I adore a good pickle or jam session with Dana and/or a few friends, great music and a supply of wine or beer.

Organization
Be organized. It makes the task easier, faster and more enjoyable when you’re making preserves.

Planning
I once made more than 300 jars of jam in 60 days. I was jam-drunk. I was having so much fun making jam that I didn’t think of the consequences – specifically what the heck I was going to with 300 jars of jam.

Mesure twice, cut once
Each year I make at least one dreadful mistake related to measuring. I forget the sugar, double the vinegar or forget a key ingredient. Read the recipe in advance, check as you go and measure everything carefully!

Cheer the progress
Take time to pat yourself and others on the back for preserving. It feels good to put food up for the winter – celebrate the little victories to stay motivated.

Fun
It’s difficult to get good at anything you don’t enjoy. Preserving is a lot of fun but if you’re too focused on the results it can be easy to forget to ‘fun’ part.

Practice
Make small batches (Food in Jars has a ton of recipes for them), swap with friends and preserve with others before making giant batches. When learning to ferment hot sauce I would ferment a cup or hot peppers at a time (over the winter) before committing to make a gallon (or more) of hot sauce.

Learn
Read, study and watch videos. Go beyond the usual sources and look for inspiration from other cultures, chefs, books, blogs and magazines.

Share
The more you share, the more that will be shared with you. Talk to friends, family and others that share your passion and you’re bound to learn more about it.

Coach
When you’re comfortable with the process of preserving, help others learn how to do it. The more you share your knowledge, the more you’ll learn!

I’ve worked in different businesses most of my life. I’ve worked in all sorts of different companies in all sorts of roles. I’ve never been a big believer in completely separating work from the rest of my life; there are all sorts of things I’ve learned at work that I use in the rest of my life – and all sorts of things I’ve learned in life that I use at work.

Here’s 10 things I’ve learned from work that apply to preserving:

Teamwork
A good team will out perform a group of solo-stars. While I do plenty of preserving by myself it’s fun to preserve in small groups – especially when preserving large batches. I adore a good pickle or jam session with Dana and/or a few friends, great music and a supply of wine or beer.

Organization
Be organized. It makes the task easier, faster and more enjoyable when you’re making preserves.

Planning
I once made more than 300 jars of jam in 60 days. I was jam-drunk. I was having so much fun making jam that I didn’t think of the consequences – specifically what the heck I was going to with 300 jars of jam.

Mesure twice, cut once
Each year I make at least one dreadful mistake related to measuring. I forget the sugar, double the vinegar or forget a key ingredient. Read the recipe in advance, check as you go and measure everything carefully!

Cheer the progress
Take time to pat yourself and others on the back for preserving. It feels good to put food up for the winter – celebrate the little victories to stay motivated.

Fun
It’s difficult to get good at anything you don’t enjoy. Preserving is a lot of fun but if you’re too focused on the results it can be easy to forget to ‘fun’ part.

Practice
Make small batches (Food in Jars has a ton of recipes for them), swap with friends and preserve with others before making giant batches. When learning to ferment hot sauce I would ferment a cup or hot peppers at a time (over the winter) before committing to make a gallon (or more) of hot sauce.

Learn
Read, study and watch videos. Go beyond the usual sources and look for inspiration from other cultures, chefs, books, blogs and magazines.

Share
The more you share, the more that will be shared with you. Talk to friends, family and others that share your passion and you’re bound to learn more about it.

Coach
When you’re comfortable with the process of preserving, help others learn how to do it. The more you share your knowledge, the more you’ll learn!